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Wednesday, 13 September 2017

Tea bags or loose tea...which do you prefer?

A few weeks ago Rhonda, in her weekend reading section, gave the link to a video called 'Ever wondered how a tea bag is made'. I am not sure what I expected but I was quite surprised when I saw the process and, as the CEO likes to use teabags, I showed the video to him while he was drinking a cup of tea and he nearly gagged :-)

As we drink Nerada tea I emailed the company and asked how their tea bags were produced. Their tea is grown in Queensland and, if you are interested, you can read The Nerada Story about how the company started out back in the 1880s.

I received a very prompt reply with the following information:
Thank you for your enquiry. Nerada Tea is continually keeping up to pace with consumer health issues and from time to time you will see changes in our production. We have certified HACCP SQF food safety procedures in place of which are audited every 6 months. We make every effort to ensure our ingredients and all materials used, including the paper, are of the highest possible standard. Our paper is manufactured from a specially selected blend of high quality manila hemp. This has been oxygen whitened, ie. not treated with chlorine or chlorine based compounds.

The paper also includes a small percentage of cellulose and thermoplastic fibres. These are necessary to ensure the sealing of the teabags during production. The content of this is <2% of the weight of the teabag. The heatseal paper is certified as a food grade paper internationally and is manufactured for the specific purpose of infusions, tea, herbs and coffee in boiling water. The thermo-plastic fibres in the paper are not chemically broken down in any way and will not leach into the infused beverage. It is 100% safe and ensures the organic status of our product is not compromised. Because of the small amount of thermo-plastic fibres it contains the teabag paper is not 100% bio-degradable.

Nerada, along with many other tea packers in the world, have teabag machines which use this type of filter paper requiring heat to seal them and for us there is no other alternative. The main component in the teabag is manila hemp the cultivation of which is, in itself, sustainable.

When I asked for permission to copy and paste the email reply into a blog post I was asked to include the following for readers' information:

Almost every teabag and also coffee bags that you will find
on the retail shelves will be very similar to each other in this regard,
as most coffee and tea companies purchase from the same teabag
manufacturer and use the same type of machinery to pack their coffee or
tea.

The key thing to remember is that the fibres used to seal the coffee
bags and teabags makes up less than 2% of the weight of the coffee
bag/teabag. They will not leach into the infused beverage.

So there you have it. We do have loose leaf tea plus tea bags here so it is interesting to know what the process of making the tea bags is. There is something nice about using loose leaf tea in a teapot though, don't you think? It takes a little more effort but it reminds me of when I was growing up as that is how Mum made tea and the older you get the more you think about the past and the little rituals that took place every day like 'putting the kettle on and having a cuppa'.

I have kind of kept it in the back of my mind that tea bags are dodgy with chemicals and obviously we get this leached into our tea plus this all must build up over time. Yet I put it to the back of my mind. And also I love a pot of tea and that usually means I will drink another cup. So I think Im converting back plus the tea leaves are then good in the garden and pot plants. You've given me the nudge I need. While I am at it I will compare the costs. It should be a savings also! xxx

I have a nifty little teapot that has a metal infuser in it. This means I can use any loose leaf tea I want, without copping a mouthful of soggy leaves. The pot is only small and makes one mug, or two teacups of tea. I'm on the lookout at the op shops for a larger pot of the same variety. I still use teabags for my Kombucha.

I come from a family of life-long tea drinkers, Chel, but don't drink tea (or coffee) myself. My aunt and uncle grew tea on a farm on the Atherton Tablelands that went to Nerada. I remember Morag Gamble from blog "Our Permaculture Life" talking about problems with tea bags too and how they really aren't suitable to compost. Meg:)

Thanks for the information. I prefer loose leaf. Like Rhonda i have some infuser spoons so if I want to make a cup without a pot, i can. There is something relaxing about waiting for the tea to brew in a pot though

Thanks for taking the time to research this for us Chel. I'm yet to see the video about tea bags, but something tells me it must be pretty awful.... and this is probably why I'm putting off watching it... because I use tea bags like most people do, but always in a teapot and always organic. Last week I found a packet of loose tea back in the depths of the pantry, have been using it in the teapot ever since. Gosh it's so good, and the ritual is lovely. I think of my early married days of emptying the teapot outside after each meal, as I'm now doing once again, forty years later!

I don't drink black tea but do have an occasional cup of herbal tea, and when I do I use tea bags. We do have a tea infuser somewhere but I think one of us put it in a 'safe place', which means it might never see the light of day again!

Ha ha Sherri. I had a look at some tea shops for the red type of infuser that Rhonda had on her blog today but they didn't stock them. I was interested to see what they looked like. We already have one I can use anyway so don't need any more.

I have a collection of tea diffusers, so I never had to use a tea bag. And I have a collection of herbal teas in jars, some that I dried from my own herbs and others that I buy. I only use teabags if I'm travelling and can't use my diffusers.

My husband uses teabags. I gave him a teapot for his desk at work which he uses off and on. I have a little glass teapot here with a tea light candle. I take my mason jars to the organic shop and mix various dried herbs and use those in my teapot. I find different combinations on the internet and the shop also have their own suggestions. I also have an infuser spoon if I'm not making a pot. The dried herbs work well in that too.Great post and thankyou for the information.I'll show my husband that clip again too.Kylie

wow i am so pleased i found your blog after going to a Don Tolman workshop and seeing the video on how tea bags were made i was quite worried,i drink Nerada so thankyou for your information and i am now your newest follower xx

I prefer loose tea. I normally drink black tea and fortunately I can easily find big cans of good quality loose tea at the store. Herbal tea is a different story. They almost always come in bags, and in small quantities.

I haven't used tea bags for years, Chel, and much prefer loose leaf tea.... always drink Nerada's. As others have commented, there's something satisfying about brewing a cuppa. Love your pretty teapot and cup.

i watched that video when it was on Rhonda's weekend reading & i did gagg! though i haven't used teabags for years. i do green tea in the pot & a lot weaker than recommended, too bitter if you make it strong. love your teacup & potthanx for sharing

Michele, I usually make a loose tea pot in the morning and tea bags during the day. I will start using my infuser thingo now. It was good of Nerada to reply.I am shocked that the tea bags don't compost completely.

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